The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Man dies after crashing his car during police pursuit
Bystander nearly hit during Monday morning incident.
A man was killed and a bystander was nearly hit early Monday morning after a domestic dispute ended with a police chase and crash in south Fulton County.
The incident started when two women were assaulted at the Biscayne Apartments in the 5400 block of Old National Highway about 6:15 a.m., Fulton police Sgt. Partrena Smith said.
One of the women called police, officials said.
When officers arrived, the man involved in the assault rammed a police car and sped down Old National, Smith said.
Police caught up with him and tried to pull him over, Smith said. He refused to stop and led police on a chase that ended when he lost control of his vehicle, the sergeant said.
The vehicle flipped over and crashed into a utility pole near Creel Road. The man died as a result of the crash, according to police. His name was not released.
Witness Kendrick Johnson was standing at a nearby bus stop when he heard tires screeching and saw the man’s vehicle approaching.
“He kind of came up on the curb, so I had to jump out of the way,” Johnson said.
The car veered back onto the road, went airborne and crashed into nearby woods, he said.
“I kind of knew that whatever happened was bad,” Johnson said. He said he is blessed to be alive. “It could have been two fatalities instead of one,” Johnson said. “Thanking my lucky stars and thanking that man above for me being here because I know how freak accidents go.”
No officers were injured in the incident, which shut down Old National Highway for about an hour, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.